Freddie Stevenson

Following the tried and tested plan of relocating to Nashville to record his second album, Scottish songwriter Freddie Stevenson at least has some great stories to share. Working with Hank Williams’ granddaughter, recruiting some of Emmylou Harris’s band to back him up and getting Prince’s producer David Z to work his magic in the studio should make for an interesting album. However, All My Strange Companions is a mixed bag, even though Stevenson has won some celebrity endorsements (Scarlett Johansson, Dave Matthews). On the first half of the album it’s pretty obvious why he might be winning people over, but it runs out of steam and when the wit is gone, the songs get increasingly dull. Add to that some really contrived lyrics, especially on the tale of stalking J.K. Rowling ("Easy Now”), and All My Strange Companions is a lot less than the sum of its parts.